Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to polishing of surfaces and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to polishing of freeform external and internal surfaces via manipulation of magnetic-abrasive fluid.
History of the Related Art
Hand held buffers and polishers are commonly utilized in applications requiring localized polishing. Use of such equipment, however, demands dexterity and is highly tedious. As an alternative approach, electrochemical and electromechanical etching methods have been investigated and utilized in the fabrication of microstructures on silicon wafers. This process requires physical barriers to confine the electrolyte into a preferred area. In many cases, locations for targeted polishing are inaccessible for conventional polishing heads and localized polishing is difficult to achieve via free-abrasive finishing methods.
As such, a need is recognized for localized finishing and surface modification technologies. For instance, in the case of bio-medical implants, certain areas are required to be rough to facilitate bone ingrowth while other areas are required to be smooth to reduce friction, wear, fatigue, damage, and corrosion. A deterministic and localized polishing method is required for polishing of desired areas without disturbing adjacent rough surfaces.